Chapter Summaries

Su Qing gave Yuan Tianye a Beauty Snake puppet to win his goodwill and obtain a Cloud Mountain Sect Outer Disciple token as danger grew at the Forward Camp. He returned to his Spirit House with new puppet blueprints and planned to strengthen himself before attempting to return to the Market.

• Su Qing decided against killing Yuan Tianye and crafted him a Master-level Demoness Puppet as an apology gift.
• Yuan Tianye was enchanted by the puppet, accepted it, and gave Su Qing a Cloud Mountain Sect Outer Disciple token.
• Su Qing celebrated that the Beauty Snake had won Yuan Tianye's favor, while expecting it to undermine his cultivation.
• The System unlocked blueprints for the Phantom Leopard and Heavenly Demoness, and Su Qing considered the Phantom Leopard's assassin abilities.
• Su Qing decided to pursue an auction for the Beauty Snake but chose to craft the Cluster Hummingbird first to improve his strength.

Su Qing refined a swarm of Cluster Hummingbirds, small artifact puppets powered by Spirit Crystals and equipped with concealed Spirit Needles and Explosive Stones. Despite the low success rate, the surviving hummingbirds proved effective at scouting the Forward Camp and could replace the Wood Spirit Servants for tasks that risked discovery.

• Su Qing examined the Scorpion Venom Needle set and found that his Mid Qi Refining Stage cultivation made it difficult to control many needles for long.
• He overheard the Beauty Snake transmitting lascivious sounds through its Sound Listening Rune and eventually cut off the transmission to resume his work.
• Su Qing and the Wood Spirit Servant assembled hummingbird bodies, loaded them with Explosive Stones and Spirit Needles, and spent two days and nights imprinting the required runes.
• After feeding the finished puppets Spirit Crystal fragments, Su Qing found that only twenty-seven of the three hundred and sixty hummingbirds had successfully activated.
• Su Qing sent the surviving hummingbirds to scout the Forward Camp, where their speed and concealment kept them unnoticed.
• Su Qing concluded that the Cluster Hummingbirds could replace Wood Spirit Servants for tasks that might expose them to the Rogue Cultivators.

Su Qing armed his Hummingbird Puppets with Explosive Stones and prepared for the defense of the Forward Camp as the Dwarf Mountain Defense Line collapsed. He learned that Tang Wanqing's team was trapped near the camp, leaving him concerned about their fate.

• Su Qing equipped eighteen Hummingbird Puppets with fragments of Explosive Stones and planned to finish converting his Scorpion Venom Needles into Hummingbirds within ten days.
• Su Qing sold a Lizard Warrior for two thousand Spirit Crystals as Rogue Cultivators prepared for the worsening danger at the Forward Camp.
• Rogue Cultivators returning from the Dwarf Mountain Defense Line reported that a Small Beast Tide had breached the defenses and scattered or destroyed the defending teams.
• The Cloud Mountain Sect strengthened the Forward Camp with arrays, defensive artifacts, and additional disciples, while Su Qing was assigned to hand in one Lizard Warrior every ten days.
• Shopkeeper Liu told Qing He, Ma Tuan, and the others that the Auction had been postponed until after the Small Beast Tide.
• Su Qing heard that Tang Wanqing's Bear King Team was trapped more than ten li from the Forward Camp and feared they might be doomed.

Su Qing saw Tang Wanqing and the Female Cultivators trapped by demonic beasts near the Forward Camp and led his puppets into battle to rescue them. He saved Sun Yan from a Scythe Mantis, and as she was brought to him, he prepared to treat her severed legs.

• Su Qing spotted Tang Wanqing and more than thirty Female Cultivators surrounded by a Spirit Spider King, Scythe Mantises, and smaller spirit spiders.
• Tang Wanqing fought the Spirit Spider King and opened a path for Sun Yan and the other Female Cultivators to escape.
• A Scythe Mantis killed several Female Cultivators and severed both of Sun Yan's legs after she attacked it.
• Su Qing sent two Armored War Bears and Lizard Warriors into the fight, and they killed the Scythe Mantis and carried Sun Yan away.
• Sun Yan recognized Su Qing as he arrived on a Golden Treasure Hound, and he prepared Spirit Needles to treat her.

Su Qing remotely deployed his puppets to rescue Tang Wanqing and the Bear King Team from a demonic-beast swarm, then realized his forces could rival an entire Hunting Grounds team. After the battle, Tang Wanqing reunited with him at the Forward Camp’s outskirts, while Sun Yan remained injured but was promised a new leg.

• Su Qing treated Sun Yan’s wounds while Tang Wanqing used Su Qing’s puppets to fight the Spirit Spider King and Scythe Mantis.
• The Spirit Spider King tore apart Bear One, but Bear Two’s armor held it in place as Tang Wanqing attacked with spiritual arrows.
• Su Qing assessed his puppets’ strength and realized that releasing his full force could let him defeat the entire swarm.
• Tang Wanqing killed the Spirit Spider King with her third arrow, while the Dual-Blade Lizards killed the Scythe Mantis and escorted the Female Cultivators to Su Qing.
• Tang Wanqing reached Su Qing and exchanged greetings with him after he promised to get Sun Yan a new leg.

Su Qing returned to the Forward Camp with Tang Wanqing and rescued wounded survivors, where he fitted Sun Yan with Azure Steel Legs. After discussing the coming Beast Tide, Tang Wanqing warned him that a Demonic Cultivator had sabotaged the Thunderfire Array at the Dwarf Mountain Defense Line.

• Su Qing and Tang Wanqing returned to the Forward Camp with the spoils and wounded survivors, then brought them to Guo Qiao Lian's crowded clinic.
• Su Qing offered Sun Yan a choice of replacement legs, and she chose Azure Steel Legs to improve her combat strength.
• Su Qing installed the legs, and Sun Yan soon began helping care for the other wounded Female Cultivators.
• Su Qing and Tang Wanqing caught up on their recent hardships and discussed Cloud Mountain Sect's plans and the Forward Camp's defenses against the Small Beast Tide.
• Tang Wanqing told Su Qing that the Thunderfire Array had been deliberately damaged and that a Demonic Cultivator had killed its guards.

Su Qing prepared for a dangerous expedition to hunt a Tier-2 Tiger King, recruited Tang Wanqing to join his party, and upgraded his Puppet squad with Spider King Legs. After completing a team of four Dual-Club War Bears, he broke through to the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining.

• Su Qing agreed that Tang Wanqing could accompany him to Black Tiger Mountain, and he reassured her that Qing He, Ma Tuan, Liang Hai Shun, and other capable cultivators would join the expedition.
• After Tang Wanqing left, Su Qing repaired his damaged Puppets, sold demon beast materials for a profit, and considered improvements to his Puppet squad.
• Su Qing equipped Bear Two with two Spider King Legs as clubs, then crafted three more Dual-Club War Bears with differently colored legs.
• After finishing Pink Stick Bear One, Red Stick Bear Two, Blue Stick Bear Three, and Purple Stick Bear Four, Su Qing's sea of consciousness expanded and his cultivation advanced to the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining.

Su Qing completed a Mantis Swordsman and expanded his forces with more Dual-Blade Lizards, including a powerful Lizard Captain. Confident enough to head for Black Tiger Mountain, he left his Spirit House and discovered the Forward Camp had been transformed into a fortified military stronghold.

• Su Qing bought the Mantis Swordsman Blueprint, refined a stronger-than-usual Puppet, and sent it to patrol with two squads of Lizard Warriors.
• Su Qing refined four Dual-Blade Lizards after wasting more than thirty sets of materials, including a larger Lizard Captain equipped with Mantis Blades.
• Su Qing put the Lizard Captain in command of the Dual-Blade Lizards and Lizard Warriors, completing his latest round of Puppet refinement.
• Su Qing decided his forces were strong enough to visit Black Tiger Mountain and set out to earn Spirit Crystals for a Tier-2 Spirit House.
• Su Qing found the Forward Camp rebuilt with paved roads, vendors, houses, Cloud Mountain Disciples on patrol, and Iron Horse Knights drilling troops.

Su Qing learned that the demonic beasts had paused after taking the Dwarf Mountain Defense Line, then visited the Forward Camp’s Stall Area to arrange a stall and bought a copied Dao Heaven Talisman Wall fragment. He planned to test whether the Fake Wall could grant him Proficiency after he had set up his stall.

• Su Qing heard that the demonic beasts had not yet attacked the Forward Camp, though their growing numbers could eventually force another conflict.
• Su Qing learned that the Rat King Team controlled the Stall Area and charged ten Spirit Crystals a day in rent.
• Su Qing discovered that the cold was unusually severe and briefly dispelled his Dharma Robe’s protection to test it.
• A stallholder claimed that a broken fragment on his stall was copied from the Dao Heaven Talisman Wall by Lin Shanlu, and Su Qing bought it for six Spirit Crystals.
• Su Qing suspected the fragment was a Fake Wall that could not convey Dao Patterns, but wondered whether it might still grant him Proficiency.

Su Qing learned that Liu Yun'er was near the Forward Camp, making his Demoness Puppets dangerous to sell, and bought escape and protection talismans from Tong Chang. Tong Chang also hinted at an opportunity in the Hundred Beasts Mountain Range that might appear within two years, but Su Qing remained focused on protecting himself from the Demoness.

• Niu Thirteen waived Su Qing's stall rent, and Su Qing set up his puppets in the busy Stall Area.
• Su Qing sold all five Lizard Warriors but could not sell any Demoness Puppets.
• Wei De Bao warned Su Qing that Liu Yun'er was nearby and was rumored to have arranged the demon beast descent, so Su Qing put away the Demoness Puppets.
• Tong Chang told Su Qing that an opportunity might emerge near Hundred Beasts Mountain within two years and said Tier 3 Biomimetic Runes were required to contend for it.
• Su Qing bought a Tier-2 Clarity Talisman and questioned Tong Chang's price for a Tier-2 Fire Escape Talisman.

Su Qing killed Xiao Ziqiang and several other thief cultivators after they stole his Storage Bag, then promoted his Lizard Warriors to the onlookers. Feng Tianyang, angered by the deaths and the damage to his reputation, prepared to confront Su Qing and demand funeral expenses.

• Su Qing cursed the Old Daoist for charging him over ten thousand Spirit Crystals for talismans, then headed home from his stall.
• Xiao Ziqiang stole Su Qing’s Storage Bag and passed it through several thief cultivators as he fled.
• Su Qing used divine sense to send the Storage Bag through seven or eight thief cultivators, killing them before it pierced Xiao Ziqiang’s chest.
• Su Qing urged the onlookers to earn Spirit Crystals honestly and promoted his Lizard Warriors before leaving.
• The Rogue Cultivators discussed Su Qing’s strength and warned that Feng Tianyang might retaliate.
• Feng Tianyang told his subordinates he would confront Su Qing and demand that he pay funeral expenses for Xiao Ziqiang and the others.

After killing three thief cultivators, Su Qing dismissed the meager loot and focused on the threat approaching his Spirit House. Feng Tianyang led the Heavenly Tribulation Gang into an ambush by Su Qing’s Puppets, and the confrontation ended with the Lizard Captain charging back at him.

• Su Qing collected three Storage Bags from the dead thief cultivators and concluded that refining puppets offered better prospects than robbery.
• Su Qing spotted a group of skilled intruders creeping toward his Spirit House and ordered his Puppets to test them.
• Li Wulang sensed that Puppets surrounded the group, and Feng Tianyang recognized the encirclement as he addressed Su Qing.
• Feng Tianyang drove the Lizard Captain back with a powerful strike and called for Su Qing to come out and talk.
• The Lizard Captain recovered and charged at Feng Tianyang again alongside four Dual-Blade Lizards.

Su Qing’s puppets killed Feng Tianyang and his gang after they attacked him, while the neighboring cultivators and Enforcement Team hastened to praise and accommodate him once they saw the outcome. The chapter ended with Su Qing looting the bodies as the camp’s residents recognized his strength.

• Feng Tianyang and his gang attacked Su Qing, but his puppets overwhelmed them, killing Li Wulang and several spell cultivators before surrounding Feng Tianyang.
• Feng Tianyang used his Golden Fire qi and Wind-Treading Boots to fight and flee, but the puppets killed him before he could escape.
• Su Qing emerged under his puppets’ protection and began looting the corpses after confirming Feng Tianyang was dead.
• Liang Hai Shun and He Lian Xian came out, praised Su Qing, and returned to their Spirit Houses when he said he needed to clean up.
• Liang Hai Shun realized Su Qing controlled far more puppets than other Puppet Masters, while He Lian Xian regretted failing to build a relationship with him.
• The Enforcement Team arrived, recognized Feng Tianyang and his gang, and offered to help Su Qing clean up the battlefield.

After killing Feng Tianyang and the other Robber Cultivators, Su Qing looted their belongings and upgraded two Puppets with a Spirit Stone. By dawn, news of his victory had spread across much of the Forward Camp, and he headed to the Hundred Treasures Small Shop with his spoils.

• Su Qing inspected his loot from Li Wulang and Feng Tianyang, including combat gear, cultivation materials, a Spirit House, and a Spirit Stone.
• Su Qing split the Spirit Stone in two and installed the halves in the Explosive Hammer War Bear and the Mantis Swordsman, increasing their endurance and combat strength.
• Su Qing found little of value among the two Dharma cultivators' belongings and used their Storage Bags to expand his carrying capacity.
• At dawn, Su Qing headed to the Hundred Treasures Small Shop while news of his victory over Feng Tianyang and the other Robber Cultivators spread through the Forward Camp.

After Su Qing’s victory over Feng Tianyang’s gang made him feared across the Forward Camp, he learned that Blood Lotus Fruits on Black Tiger Mountain were nearing ripeness and could improve bone structure. He sold his spoils, bought a heavy War Hammer, and prepared to return to selling Puppets despite his unease about the mountain expedition.

• Su Qing found that Rogue Cultivators and Professionals treated him with fearful respect after his victory, though he disliked how his reputation might hurt his Puppet business.
• At Hundred Treasures Small Shop, Tong Xin told Su Qing that Qing He and the other War Cultivators had gone to Black Tiger Mountain, where three Blood Lotus Fruits were about to ripen.
• Tong Xin explained that the fruits required Tier 2 blood essence to ripen, that Hundred Treasures Pavilion had prepared formations and Magic Artifacts, and that it had arranged with Cloud Mountain Sect to secure one fruit in exchange for their staying out of the matter.
• Su Qing realized the fruits might improve his poor bone structure, but he felt uneasy about the coming contest despite Tong Xin’s confidence that the main danger was the Black Mountain Tiger.
• Su Qing sold damaged gear and unused Pills for more than thirteen thousand Spirit Crystals, then spent the money and his remaining savings on a Tier-1 High-Grade Mountain Collapse Hammer.
• Su Qing refused Tong Xin’s reduced offer for Feng Tianyang’s Wind-Treading Boots and Golden Jade Armor, bought Puppet Materials, and headed to the Stall Area to sell Lizard Warriors.

Su Qing sold his newly developed Dual-Blade Lizards, traded for talismans, and spent most of his growing fortune preparing for a dangerous trip to Black Tiger Mountain. After settling in the abandoned Heavenly Tribulation Gang territory and refining Lizard Warriors, he perfected the puppet blueprint and unlocked a Substitute Doll.

• Su Qing sold Lizard Warriors and three Dual-Blade Lizards, then traded one Dual-Blade Lizard to Tong Chang for two Tier-2 Evil Suppressing Talismans.
• Tong Chang warned Su Qing that a woman would bring him a crisis, and said a trip to Black Tiger Mountain could help repair the damage to his foundations.
• Su Qing returned his rented Spirit House and sold Feng Tianyang's Lotus Root Girl to Tong Xin for twenty-three thousand Spirit Crystals.
• Su Qing spent most of his wealth on War Blades, puppet materials, Mist Concealment Talismans, and Fire Spirit Pills before placing his Spirit House in the Heavenly Tribulation Gang's territory.
• The Heavenly Tribulation Gang moved away overnight, leaving Su Qing to occupy their rent-free land and patrol it with puppets.
• Su Qing perfected the Lizard Warrior blueprint and unlocked the Spatial Type Biomimetic Puppet—Substitute Doll blueprint.

After unlocking the Substitute Doll, Su Qing decided to prioritize crafting the life-saving puppet over refining Lizard Warriors. He tried to order its costly materials from Tong Xin, but the expense drained his remaining Spirit Crystals and left him needing to earn much more.

• Su Qing discovered that he had unlocked the Substitute Doll, which could sacrifice itself to protect him and move him to safety.
• Su Qing went to the Hundred Treasures Small Shop and asked Tong Xin for Ethereal Bamboo and Golden Roc Feathers.
• Tong Xin explained that the shop had Ethereal Bamboo but would need to transfer Golden Roc Feathers from the Central District, and Su Qing learned how expensive the materials were.
• Su Qing asked Tong Xin to transfer three Golden Roc Feathers, but the required deposit of eight thousand Spirit Crystals consumed all the money he had left.
• Su Qing calculated that one Substitute Doll would cost roughly thirty thousand Spirit Crystals and resolved to prepare even more before attempting to refine it.

Su Qing worked tirelessly to earn Spirit Crystals for the Substitute Doll, while Yuan Tianye faced pressure from Lin Shuangmu to recruit skilled cultivators for the Cloud Mountain Sect. The chapter ended with Yuan promising to spend the sect’s allocated funds where they mattered.

• Su Qing sold Puppets, lent them to Tang Wanqing’s squad, stitched wounds at Guo Qiao Lian’s clinic, and secretly sold two Beauty Snakes, gathering a little over fifty thousand Spirit Crystals.
• Su Qing considered buying materials to practice making a Substitute Doll, but the Beauty Snake Yuan Tianye carried stirred as he left the clinic.
• Lin Shuangmu confronted Yuan Tianye for failing to recruit Artifact Refiners, Talisman Masters, and Puppet Masters from the Forward Camp.
• Yuan Tianye said the Forward Camp had few suitable professionals and that the capable ones, including Liang Hai Shun and He Lian Xian, had refused to serve the sect.
• Lin Shuangmu urged Yuan Tianye to spend the sect’s allocated Spirit Crystals, and Yuan promised to use every last one where it counted.

Su Qing visited Yuan Tianye to secure a large Puppet order for the Forward Camp and demonstrated his creations. Yuan Tianye saw promise in the Dual-Blade Lizard and realized Su Qing could make Lizard Warriors in useful numbers, leaving the order under consideration.

• Su Qing insisted that Yuan Tianye give him the Forward Camp Puppet orders, but Yuan initially doubted that the Beauty Snake was practical for combat.
• Su Qing explained that he had developed other Puppets and brought out Dual-Blade Lizards, Dual-Club War Bears, and Lizard Warriors.
• Su Qing demonstrated the Dual-Blade Lizard’s armor-piercing sabers and combat skills, and Yuan Tianye grew interested in buying them.
• Yuan Tianye watched Su Qing demonstrate the Dual-Club War Bear and Lizard Warriors, then asked how many Lizard Warriors he could craft each day.
• Su Qing claimed he could make about three Lizard Warriors per day, and Yuan Tianye concluded that a hundred in a month could be useful.

Su Qing sold Yuan Tianye a large order of Puppets and spent his payment on materials before sensing the Demoness disguised as a cultivator inside the camp. After exposing her, he tried to escape, but she appeared before him and left him and Fire Egg unable to move.

• Su Qing agreed to provide Yuan Tianye with fifteen Dual-Blade Lizards and as many heavy-armored Lizard Warriors as he could refine, and Yuan paid him in Spirit Crystals and War Blades.
• Su Qing bought materials for Substitute Dolls and Lizard Warriors at the Hundred Treasures Small Shop, then headed home with his purchases.
• Su Qing spotted a white-robed woman and recognized her as the Demoness despite her disguise, so he shouted a warning and surrounded himself with Puppets.
• The Rogue Cultivators scattered as Su Qing tried to flee, but the Demoness revealed her true face and disintegrated the Lizard Warrior that charged her.
• The Demoness appeared before Su Qing and Fire Egg, and her pressure froze them in place as Su Qing marveled at her beauty.